Two Outta Three Ain't Bad – 22.02.2022 – Delilah
Mar 3, 2022 19:06:24 GMT
Velania Kalugina and Zola Rhomdaen like this
Post by Delilah Daybreaker on Mar 3, 2022 19:06:24 GMT
Rolled into a palm sized tube is a piece of nondescript parchment written in a mix of common, symbols, elvish, and draconic.
ASSIGNMENT REPORT #25
People/Organisations of Note:
Oziah Daybreaker – holy warrior, aasimar (fallen), female; mount: Deimos (skeletal, fiend)
Coll – spar velah’rnair, proprietor of Fort Ettin, human, male
Pipper – mechanical mage, lizardfolk, female
Felix Gould – versemaker, dwarf, male
Amble “Everbright” Brockskin – mage, gnome, male
Cecil – councilman of Daring Heights, male
Oriloki Manyvoices – mage, goliath, scholar of Daring Academy, male
Eloise – researcher/scholar of Daring Academy, female (deceased)
Arvaline – Harnashi delegate/researcher, orc, female (deceased)
Unknown Githyanki Leader – mage, githyanki, male
Gihyanki Leader’s Splinter Cell – warriors (5), githyanki, male (deceased)
Location:
Fort Ettin – Adventurer's hub
Gadenthor – ‘fallen’ Netherese City, just outside of Harnash
Body:
An unexpected, urgent mission to Gadenthor came from Coll. Never before had he seemed so determined, so driven except for those few times when he is seen breaking up the more rowdy patrons in the Great Hall of Fort Ettin. No, this time was different. He already had the versmaker Gould with him when Coll caught sight of Daybreaker, demanding her assistance with rescuing his brother, Cecil. Once Coll felt he had the party he needed Manyvoices took us to the Teleportation Circle and we were being transported to the decidedly warmer climate of Harnash.
It did not seem like anyone was aware the party had gone missing. True it was a small group consisting only of one of Manyvoices’ Simulacra, a human researcher named Eloise, Coll’s brother Cecil, and a delegate from Harnashi, Arvaline. They had only just set up their base camp a tenday or so before in one of Gadenthor’s many buildings, quite a ways off the beaten path. The reason for this risky venture was to set up good relations with the Harnashi monarchy and to possibly further the vaults of information Daring Academy could have.
Upon arrival at the base camp it was clear there had been a struggle. The remains of Manyvoices’ Simulacra was found, but no other indication (eg. bodies or limbs) of the others except for a trail of blood. We followed it through a portal – a door where, when the runes around it’s frame were touched/activated, it would take you to a different area of Gadenthor – to a place roughly translated to mean ‘the head’. Further signs of confrontations were found as we followed the one, single corridor that led to… what I think could only be described as a control room.
Six large purple and blue crystals floated in this cavernous chamber – three on the right, three on the left – each about the same size as your average medium sized creature sitting down. Towering overhead was a humanoid sculpture(?)/construct(?)/form(?), but only from the waist up. It’s arms reached out to either side of the room, fingers branching into the walls like roots of a tree, with veins of blue crystal running down their gigantic limbs. It’s face was blank, featureless, head tipped forward indicating some form of rest or deactivation. It was here that our party found Cecil and the others of his party.
Coll’s brother was bruised, bloodied and kneeling with his hands bound behind his back. Eloise and Arvaline, similarly bound, looked either glazed and defeated, or lost and without hope. Their captors were instantly recognizable to me, though it is unclear if the others clocked it too at the time. Five githyanki warriors, led by a sixth, did not waste any time before coming at us once our party entered the chamber.
Taking my cue, going up to one of the warriors closest to Cecil in an attempt to intimidate them into surrendering with a deadly strike didn’t seem to have an effect on the githyanki. A credit to their ways, they met our force with intensity of their own, though one who was fighting Daybreaker was all talk and no actual threat.
However, not long after the fight broke out, we soon discovered what purpose those six large crystals were for. One of the githyanki warriors was slain by the mage Brockskin, but instead of falling and dying as would be the standard, normal way of things, it was as if the crystal sensed his soul was to depart for other realms and instead, seized it in some kind of arcane, possibly necromantic grip. It them absorbed the warrior’s soul – which sounded for the briefest of moments like he was still alive and aware and in a lot of pain – powering up itself. When this happened the giant humanoid construct(?) began to glow, as if awakening from a slumber.
There was no time to tell the others to not slay the githyanki, though after the second time it happened, everyone became fully aware of what was happening. The githyanki leader was not above sacrificing his own men – one of them mentioning a place called ‘the City of Death’ which may have been their name for Gadenthor, or another place, it was unclear. He also ended up sacrificing the two researchers, Eloise and Arvaline, and would have Cecil too, had not Manyvoices strived to protect Coll’s brother in a sphere impervious to magic.
Then, before we were fully aware of it, all six crystals were lit and then the githyanki leader did the most curious thing. He forced Coll, a human man who might have spent too many years behind a bar serving drinks to have forgotten some of his martial training (NB: He missed even when I was carving openings for him left, right and centre), into the huge statue(?)/construct(?) that had at this point glowed in an unmistakable way that indicated it was fully powered up, and ready to be used. Coll appeared to merge with the statue(?)/construct(?) to the point where it started taking on the human man’s features. Before anything more could be done to the githyanki leader, being the last one standing and the only one we could question, he teleported away, probably back to the Astral Sea.
It was at this point we all heard a voice asking, “What is your command, Magister?” And then Coll emerged from the statue(?)/construct(?), changed.
He now seemingly has a model of Gadenthor in his head, meaning he could – if he only had the arcane training perhaps – control the now flying Netherese city of Gadenthor.
Returning the way the came was how we discovered the city was now flying, but not only that, it was under assault by red dragons – or possibly wyverns as is the case that githyanki tend to like to ride those. Manyvoices, thinking it best to get out of the Netherese city, before objections could be raised, teleported us back to Fort Ettin.
No further word has been had since the writing of this report but there are a few things of concern that this agent is at least marginally aware of. First and foremost of concern is the Harnashi government. Their monarchy had fully relocated into Gadenthor. But with it flying and now under assault their Queens are cut off from their people. Second and possibly the more concerning thing is the lich as mentioned in Assignment Report #12 is still in the city somewhere. They are a potential ally, but for whom? The Tecorvum Queens? The invading githyanki? Third and final concern is the fact that Coll can control the flying city, in fact knows much more about it than anyone possibly did before, but he lacks the skills to do so. Having one who is incapable of fully controlling the city means the githyanki do not have to worry about the defences activating. Whatever their goal truly is, they have less to worry about with a city under such poor management.
Will attempt to keep apprised of this developing situation. However personal affairs relating to shadow dragons may take precedence.
Report passed on 23 day of the Claw of Winter.
Neh diis lus’a, lus diis’a.
ASSIGNMENT REPORT #25
People/Organisations of Note:
Oziah Daybreaker – holy warrior, aasimar (fallen), female; mount: Deimos (skeletal, fiend)
Coll – spar velah’rnair, proprietor of Fort Ettin, human, male
Pipper – mechanical mage, lizardfolk, female
Felix Gould – versemaker, dwarf, male
Amble “Everbright” Brockskin – mage, gnome, male
Cecil – councilman of Daring Heights, male
Oriloki Manyvoices – mage, goliath, scholar of Daring Academy, male
Eloise – researcher/scholar of Daring Academy, female (deceased)
Arvaline – Harnashi delegate/researcher, orc, female (deceased)
Unknown Githyanki Leader – mage, githyanki, male
Gihyanki Leader’s Splinter Cell – warriors (5), githyanki, male (deceased)
Location:
Fort Ettin – Adventurer's hub
Gadenthor – ‘fallen’ Netherese City, just outside of Harnash
Body:
An unexpected, urgent mission to Gadenthor came from Coll. Never before had he seemed so determined, so driven except for those few times when he is seen breaking up the more rowdy patrons in the Great Hall of Fort Ettin. No, this time was different. He already had the versmaker Gould with him when Coll caught sight of Daybreaker, demanding her assistance with rescuing his brother, Cecil. Once Coll felt he had the party he needed Manyvoices took us to the Teleportation Circle and we were being transported to the decidedly warmer climate of Harnash.
It did not seem like anyone was aware the party had gone missing. True it was a small group consisting only of one of Manyvoices’ Simulacra, a human researcher named Eloise, Coll’s brother Cecil, and a delegate from Harnashi, Arvaline. They had only just set up their base camp a tenday or so before in one of Gadenthor’s many buildings, quite a ways off the beaten path. The reason for this risky venture was to set up good relations with the Harnashi monarchy and to possibly further the vaults of information Daring Academy could have.
Upon arrival at the base camp it was clear there had been a struggle. The remains of Manyvoices’ Simulacra was found, but no other indication (eg. bodies or limbs) of the others except for a trail of blood. We followed it through a portal – a door where, when the runes around it’s frame were touched/activated, it would take you to a different area of Gadenthor – to a place roughly translated to mean ‘the head’. Further signs of confrontations were found as we followed the one, single corridor that led to… what I think could only be described as a control room.
Six large purple and blue crystals floated in this cavernous chamber – three on the right, three on the left – each about the same size as your average medium sized creature sitting down. Towering overhead was a humanoid sculpture(?)/construct(?)/form(?), but only from the waist up. It’s arms reached out to either side of the room, fingers branching into the walls like roots of a tree, with veins of blue crystal running down their gigantic limbs. It’s face was blank, featureless, head tipped forward indicating some form of rest or deactivation. It was here that our party found Cecil and the others of his party.
Coll’s brother was bruised, bloodied and kneeling with his hands bound behind his back. Eloise and Arvaline, similarly bound, looked either glazed and defeated, or lost and without hope. Their captors were instantly recognizable to me, though it is unclear if the others clocked it too at the time. Five githyanki warriors, led by a sixth, did not waste any time before coming at us once our party entered the chamber.
Taking my cue, going up to one of the warriors closest to Cecil in an attempt to intimidate them into surrendering with a deadly strike didn’t seem to have an effect on the githyanki. A credit to their ways, they met our force with intensity of their own, though one who was fighting Daybreaker was all talk and no actual threat.
However, not long after the fight broke out, we soon discovered what purpose those six large crystals were for. One of the githyanki warriors was slain by the mage Brockskin, but instead of falling and dying as would be the standard, normal way of things, it was as if the crystal sensed his soul was to depart for other realms and instead, seized it in some kind of arcane, possibly necromantic grip. It them absorbed the warrior’s soul – which sounded for the briefest of moments like he was still alive and aware and in a lot of pain – powering up itself. When this happened the giant humanoid construct(?) began to glow, as if awakening from a slumber.
There was no time to tell the others to not slay the githyanki, though after the second time it happened, everyone became fully aware of what was happening. The githyanki leader was not above sacrificing his own men – one of them mentioning a place called ‘the City of Death’ which may have been their name for Gadenthor, or another place, it was unclear. He also ended up sacrificing the two researchers, Eloise and Arvaline, and would have Cecil too, had not Manyvoices strived to protect Coll’s brother in a sphere impervious to magic.
Then, before we were fully aware of it, all six crystals were lit and then the githyanki leader did the most curious thing. He forced Coll, a human man who might have spent too many years behind a bar serving drinks to have forgotten some of his martial training (NB: He missed even when I was carving openings for him left, right and centre), into the huge statue(?)/construct(?) that had at this point glowed in an unmistakable way that indicated it was fully powered up, and ready to be used. Coll appeared to merge with the statue(?)/construct(?) to the point where it started taking on the human man’s features. Before anything more could be done to the githyanki leader, being the last one standing and the only one we could question, he teleported away, probably back to the Astral Sea.
It was at this point we all heard a voice asking, “What is your command, Magister?” And then Coll emerged from the statue(?)/construct(?), changed.
He now seemingly has a model of Gadenthor in his head, meaning he could – if he only had the arcane training perhaps – control the now flying Netherese city of Gadenthor.
Returning the way the came was how we discovered the city was now flying, but not only that, it was under assault by red dragons – or possibly wyverns as is the case that githyanki tend to like to ride those. Manyvoices, thinking it best to get out of the Netherese city, before objections could be raised, teleported us back to Fort Ettin.
No further word has been had since the writing of this report but there are a few things of concern that this agent is at least marginally aware of. First and foremost of concern is the Harnashi government. Their monarchy had fully relocated into Gadenthor. But with it flying and now under assault their Queens are cut off from their people. Second and possibly the more concerning thing is the lich as mentioned in Assignment Report #12 is still in the city somewhere. They are a potential ally, but for whom? The Tecorvum Queens? The invading githyanki? Third and final concern is the fact that Coll can control the flying city, in fact knows much more about it than anyone possibly did before, but he lacks the skills to do so. Having one who is incapable of fully controlling the city means the githyanki do not have to worry about the defences activating. Whatever their goal truly is, they have less to worry about with a city under such poor management.
Will attempt to keep apprised of this developing situation. However personal affairs relating to shadow dragons may take precedence.
Report passed on 23 day of the Claw of Winter.
Neh diis lus’a, lus diis’a.
